Mexico's Houston Consul Maria Elena Orantes stays on vacation in Chiapas despite migrant death

Mexico's consul general in Houston, Maria Elena Orantes, began a week‑long vacation in her home state of Chiapas on 6 July. During the trip she posted birthday celebrations on social media and met local officials, including the president of the Chiapas state judiciary, the rector of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, ranchers and journalists.

The vacation came as the Mexican community in Houston was grieving the 7 July shooting of migrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent in Texas, an incident the family describes as an unjustified use of force. Orantes has not made any public comment on the case. Mexico's foreign ministry said the government will file formal complaints with Texas prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the deaths of Mexican nationals while in ICE custody.